1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to electronic commerce, and, more specifically, to a system for enabling the purchase of a broadcast audio and/or video work.
2. Discussion of the Background
A song, or another type of work (e.g., a video), that is broadcast to the public, through radio stations, satellite systems, cable television systems, the Internet, and other like systems, often stimulates a desire in a consumer who is receiving the broadcast to purchase the song (or other work) being broadcast. In the case of a song, to satisfy this impulsive desire to purchase, the consumer must (1) know the artists or title of the song and (2) travel to a retail outlet, such as a record store, video store, or department store, or log onto a web site that sells music, to purchase a compact disc (CD) containing the song.
There are several disadvantages with this approach to buying media For instance, for music, at the time the desire to purchase the music is stimulated, the consumer may not have the time nor the opportunity to travel to a retail outlet or log onto a web site to purchase the music. Additionally, there is no guarantee that the consumer will know the artist and/or title of the music he or she desires to buy. Furthermore, it is often not possible to purchase a single song. For example, in most cases a desired song is only distributed on a CD (or other storage media) on which a number of other songs from the artist are stored.
What is desired, therefore, is a system to enable a consumer to purchase a song (or other work) at the time the desire to purchase the work is stimulated or at a later time. Additionally, it may be desired to provide the consumer with instant access to the purchased work.